The people defending Cardinal George Pell (The Saturday Paper) July 8 – (Opinion: Martin McKenzie-Murray) While Victoria Police was announcing
they would be laying criminal charges against Cardinal George Pell, Rome was
observing a holy day – the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

CATHOLIC
CHURCH

Is Catholicism facing an existential
crisis? (Brisbane Times) July 9 – (Opinion: Bill O’Chee) Do last week’s charges against Cardinal Pell
over historical sex abuse allegations represent an existential crisis for the
Catholic Church and its many millions of members in Australia?

Religious
Violence

Avignon shooting: several wounded near
French mosque(Sydney Morning
Herald) July 3 - Paris: Eight people were wounded in a shooting in front of a mosque in
the southern French city of Avignon in an incident police consider to be a
settling of scores rather than a militant attack, a source close to the
investigation said on Monday.

At least 23 Egyptian soldiers killed in
Sinai car bomb attacks(Sydney Morning Herald) July 8 - Cairo/Ismailia: At least 23 Egyptian soldiers were killed when two
suicide car bombs tore through army checkpoints in North Sinai province on
Friday, security sources said, one of the bloodiest assaults on security forces
for months.

Nine Kenyans beheaded by Somali al-Shabaab
terrorists (The Guardian,
Australia) July 9 - Al-Shabaab extremists from neighbouring Somalia beheaded nine
civilians in an attack on a village in Kenya, officials said, adding to growing
concerns that the Islamist militant group has taken up a new strategy.